Los Angeles hip-hop collective Odd Future, has been gaining momentum since their now infamous appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. While they’re most known members are notorious for hyper-violent lyrics and chauvinistic attitudes, The Internet offers a more supple, loving project from members Syd tha Kyd and Matt Martians.
“Purple Naked Ladies” is perplexing because it was released so shortly after the album was announced. There are many signs pointing towards a rushed release for the sake of getting another project into the public sphere. For one, the production quality is fairly low quality, especially when taking the instrumentals into account. The beats on the album seem to be at war with one another. On one hand, the songs are chilled-out slow-jams and on the other are heavily cluttered with effects. “Violet Nude Women,” the first track, seems to combine these elements in an unflattering way. “Lincoln” sounds more like the latter, and actually seems like a joke at first with the line “In the ghetto” repeated over a hokey electric organ. I also get the sense that this was hurriedly released to keep listeners interested in the Odd Future family, as this is the first physical release on their own record label, Odd Future Records.
It should be mentioned that Syd tha Kid is the resident DJ for Odd Future concerts, which makes me wonder why they asked Left Brain and Mike G to contribute guest verses when they clearly have access to stronger lyricists. On the subject of guests, Coco O. is another fresh face and she appears on a few tracks. The only issue with her is that she very obviously outperforms Syd simply because she’s the stronger vocalist. Also, The Internet seems like the perfect project for budding R&B phenom Frank Ocean to drop in for a swoon-worthy hook or two.
That said, the pleasant moments of “Purple Naked Ladies” really point to the strengths of the group. “Love Song -1” got a lot of attention from music blogs and justifiably so, Syd’s voice carries surprisingly well over a fairly low-key beat. Hearing Syd’s pained voice brings a more vulnerable tone to the group. “She DGAF” also hints towards their strong sensibility for writing pop music, especially if you consider these songs to essentially be rough drafts. I also found “Web of Me” to be especially catchy due to Syd’s playful presence and it boasts one of the more infectious hooks on the album. Determining the effectiveness of the songs on this album is difficult when many of them fall close to the two-minute mark.
Syd clearly has the recognizable voice for contemporary R&B and it’s refreshing to hear. She has glimmers of a less funk-based Erykah Badu, although not nearly on the same level. I also find Syd to be fascinating since she’s an openly lesbian R&B and hip-hop artist who writes music for women. I don’t believe that should hold the foundation of her music or help record sales but it’s worth noting that her direction is unique and should be considered somewhat of a risk in the hip-hop and R&B community.
“Purple Naked Ladies” works well as a palette for sounds they can expand upon in the future. In order for The Internet to actually function as an electro-R&B group, Syd and Matt need to determine a direction and stick to it instead of trying everything out in one burst of mediocrity. While there are a few memorable tracks, the rest of “Purple Naked Ladies” tends to be overstated and unwelcome.
